Rachel Martinhttp://wuis.org
enAfter Katrina, One Sister Moves On; For Another, 'Tomorrow Never Came'http://wuis.org/post/after-katrina-one-sister-moves-another-tomorrow-never-came
Ten years ago this month, the monster storm Hurricane Katrina thundered through New Orleans and coastal Mississippi and Alabama. Many who survived the storm and its aftermath are still feeling its terrible impact.<p>This week on For the Record: Hurricane Katrina's mark on one family, 10 years later.<p>In 2005, sisters Regina and Talitha Halley, had just moved out of the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, into a new house on Spain Street.Sun, 02 Aug 2015 12:47:00 +0000Rachel Martin54661 at http://wuis.orgAfter Katrina, One Sister Moves On; For Another, 'Tomorrow Never Came'More Than A Pipeline Problem: In Search Of Diversity In Silicon Valleyhttp://wuis.org/post/more-pipeline-problem-search-diversity-silicon-valley
<br />Silicon Valley is a place that operates on data — hard facts and numbers.<p>Last month, the tech giant Facebook <a href="http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2015/06/driving-diversity-at-facebook/">released a report</a> on diversity among its workers — and the numbers weren't good.<p>The company reported that nearly 70 percent of its employees are men; 57 percent are white; Hispanics represent just 4 percent. Black employees comprised just 2 percent of their workforce.<p>Facebook is hardly the only Silicon Valley firm struggling to diversify.Sun, 26 Jul 2015 13:21:00 +0000Rachel Martin54227 at http://wuis.orgMore Than A Pipeline Problem: In Search Of Diversity In Silicon ValleyPro Gaming Joins Other Sports As It Begins Drug Testinghttp://wuis.org/post/pro-gaming-joins-other-sports-it-begins-drug-testing
<div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.<img src="http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Pro+Gaming+Joins+Other+Sports+As+It+Begins+Drug+Testing&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDA4NDI3MDk2MDEzMjA0NDE3NTExOWRjNg004)"/></div><p>Transcript <p>RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: <p>Professional video gaming is big business. This year, according to The New York Times, the e-ports industry, as it's known, has more than 100 million fans worldwide and is expected to surpass $250 million in revenue.Sun, 26 Jul 2015 11:41:00 +0000Rachel Martin54224 at http://wuis.org'Driving Straight,' Giving Back: Rebuilding A Life After Prisonhttp://wuis.org/post/driving-straight-giving-back-rebuilding-life-after-prison
In a speech last week, President Obama made a case for overhauling the criminal justice system.<p>"Mass incarceration makes our country worse off, and we need to do something about it," he said.<p>Then he took his message to the people his proposals could affect most. On Thursday, he met with six inmates at the Federal Correctional Institution in El Reno, Okla. — all convicted of nonviolent drug offenses — and became the first sitting president to ever visit a federal prison.<p>Earlier he commuted the sentences of 46 criminals with nonviolent drug charges.Sun, 19 Jul 2015 12:57:00 +0000Rachel Martin53804 at http://wuis.org'Driving Straight,' Giving Back: Rebuilding A Life After PrisonIn Newark, Reversing 40 Years Of Neighborhood Neglecthttp://wuis.org/post/newark-reversing-40-years-neighborhood-neglect
In cities with high crime rates, like Newark, N.J., figuring out the right balance of police engagement is especially hard.<p>In 2013, Newark had 40 homicides per 100,000 residents, the third-highest homicide rate in the country.<p>Last fall, the new mayor, Ras Baraka, announced a plan to tackle the crime and neglect that have plagued the city's worst neighborhoods. He started by focusing on two of the toughest: Clinton Hill and the Lower West Ward.Sun, 07 Jun 2015 13:25:00 +0000Rachel Martin51199 at http://wuis.orgIn Newark, Reversing 40 Years Of Neighborhood NeglectAt Dover Air Force Base, Bringing Home The Fallen With Grief And Joy http://wuis.org/post/dover-air-force-base-bringing-home-fallen-grief-and-joy
There is a grim kind of math that comes with war.<p>Most of the troops who died during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were flown to Dover Air Force base in Delaware. And for most of the wars, those dignified transfers were off limits to the press. That changed in 2009, when President Obama lifted the media ban and paid a visit to Dover himself.<p>From 2009 to the end of 2014, there were more than 2,400 dignified transfers at Dover. While the numbers are far smaller today, the planes are still flying troops home. The most recent: Petty Officer 3rd Class Devon J. Doyle, 21, of Colorado.Sun, 24 May 2015 13:02:00 +0000Rachel Martin50324 at http://wuis.orgAt Dover Air Force Base, Bringing Home The Fallen With Grief And Joy The Outsized Optimism Of The Entrepreneurhttp://wuis.org/post/outsized-optimism-entrepreneur
It is part of the American dream, the notion that if you have a good idea and a fire in your belly, you can turn an idea into a successful business. It's that entrepreneurial spirit that drives the global economy.<p>That message is everywhere in our culture. President Obama echoed it last week, at a summit on entrepreneurship at the White House.<p>"We have a lot of brainpower here," he said. "We've got innovators and investors, business leaders, entrepreneurs.Sun, 17 May 2015 12:19:00 +0000Rachel Martin49903 at http://wuis.orgThe Outsized Optimism Of The EntrepreneurBeing Transgender At Work Can Be Hard, But Made Easier With An Allyhttp://wuis.org/post/being-transgender-work-can-be-hard-made-easier-ally
Bruce Jenner's national TV <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/04/24/402069597/jenner-for-all-intents-and-purposes-i-am-a-woman">interview with Diane Sawyer in April</a> ended months of speculation. The former Olympian turned reality TV star revealed that he now identifies as a transgender woman — though he still prefers to be called "he" for the time being.<p>Jenner was hailed as a hero for his openness on an issue that has caused real heartache for many.Sun, 10 May 2015 13:24:00 +0000Rachel Martin49454 at http://wuis.orgBeing Transgender At Work Can Be Hard, But Made Easier With An AllyRemembering The Doomed First Flight Of Operation Babylifthttp://wuis.org/post/remembering-doomed-first-flight-operation-babylift
Forty years ago this month, North Vietnamese troops captured Saigon. The long war in Vietnam was coming to an end.<p>In the midst of the political fallout, the U.S. government announced an unusual plan to get thousands of displaced Vietnamese children out of the country. President Ford directed that money from a special foreign aid children's fund be made available to fly 2,000 South Vietnamese orphans to the United States.<p>It came to be known as Operation Babylift.Sun, 26 Apr 2015 12:23:00 +0000Rachel Martin48510 at http://wuis.orgRemembering The Doomed First Flight Of Operation Babylift'This Is Going To Be Too Hard': Keeping Kids From Using Pothttp://wuis.org/post/going-be-too-hard-keeping-kids-using-pot
Public perceptions of marijuana have come a long way. Once a symbol of the counterculture, pot has become part of the culture.<p>In Colorado, it's part of everyday culture.<p>Colorado has allowed medical marijuana since 2001, but voters amended the state constitution in 2012 to allow private marijuana consumption for adults aged 21 or older. The first-ever stores to sell state-regulated recreational pot opened their doors on Jan.Sun, 19 Apr 2015 12:02:00 +0000Rachel Martin48013 at http://wuis.org'This Is Going To Be Too Hard': Keeping Kids From Using PotNepal Diverts Climbing Fees To Sherpa Welfare Fundhttp://wuis.org/post/nepal-diverts-climbing-fees-sherpa-welfare-fund
<div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.<img src="http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Nepal+Diverts+Climbing+Fees+To+Sherpa+Welfare+Fund&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDA5MTYwMDQ1MDEzMzE1ODcyMjRmY2FlMA004)"/></div><p>Transcript <p>RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: <p>Now, to a grim anniversary in the mountain climbing world. It was a year ago that 16 Nepalis guiding climbers up Mount Everest were swept away by a hanging glacier that had peeled off the mountain. It was the worst single accident in the history of Everest.Sun, 19 Apr 2015 11:47:00 +0000Rachel Martin48006 at http://wuis.orgVW Camper Van Gets An Electric Makeoverhttp://wuis.org/post/vw-camper-van-gets-electric-makeover
<div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.<img src="http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=VW+Camper+Van+Gets+An+Electric+Makeover&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDA5MTYwMDQ1MDEzMzE1ODcyMjRmY2FlMA004)"/></div><p>Transcript <p>RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: <p>This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin.<p>(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TRUCKIN'")<p>GRATEFUL DEAD: (Singing) What a long, strange trip it's been.<p>MARTIN: It has been a long, strange trip for the VW Bus.Sun, 19 Apr 2015 11:47:00 +0000Rachel Martin48009 at http://wuis.orgWorking Through Depression: Many Stay On The Job, Despite Mental Illnesshttp://wuis.org/post/working-through-depression-many-stay-job-despite-mental-illness
When a pilot crashed a Germanwings plane into a mountainside in the French Alps last month, one word kept coming up over and over in the media coverage: depression. What did the airline know about the pilot's mental health, and what was he required to tell them?<p>Of course, being depressed is a very different thing from wanting to take the lives of others.Sun, 12 Apr 2015 11:42:00 +0000Rachel Martin47399 at http://wuis.orgIn New York, A Sculptor's Got Some S'plaining To Dohttp://wuis.org/post/new-york-sculptors-got-some-splaining-do
<div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.<img src="http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=In+New+York%2C+A+Sculptor%27s+Got+Some+S%27plaining+To+Do&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxODM1Njk5MDEyMTY5MDg4MzEyOTc5Ng004)"/></div><p>Transcript <p>RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: <p>In Lucille Ball's hometown of Celoron, N.Y., there stands a statue of the famed comedian. But the statue isn't so popular with a lot of residents.Sun, 05 Apr 2015 11:44:00 +0000Rachel Martin46953 at http://wuis.orgIn Greece, Getting By On The Brink Of A Financial Meltdownhttp://wuis.org/post/greece-getting-brink-financial-meltdown
For many countries, the worst of the Great Recession is over. Things aren't perfect by any stretch, but economies are growing again, employment rates are up and consumers feel more optimistic, which is important.<p>But that is not the case in Greece.<p>In the last 48 hours, this battered country has once again averted the latest threat of bankruptcy: Somehow, Greece has found the money to pay back hundreds of millions of dollars to the IMF.Sun, 05 Apr 2015 11:44:00 +0000Rachel Martin46955 at http://wuis.orgIn Greece, Getting By On The Brink Of A Financial Meltdown#NPRreads: Obsessing Over A Murder And The Times' Man In Tehran http://wuis.org/post/nprreads-obsessing-over-murder-and-times-man-tehran
<em>#NPRreads is a new feature we're testing out on Twitter and on The Two-Way. The premise is simple: Correspondents, editors and producers throughout our newsroom will share pieces that have kept them reading.Fri, 03 Apr 2015 22:02:00 +0000Rachel Martin46894 at http://wuis.orgFor Undercover Agents, On-The-Job Adrenaline Can Be Addictivehttp://wuis.org/post/undercover-agents-job-adrenaline-can-be-addictive
Danger, subterfuge, adrenaline — as more agencies use undercover operatives, we take a look at what it's like to take on a false identity professionally.<p>A <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/03/25/395273006/panel-finds-fbi-made-strides-after-9-11-but-must-speed-reforms">recent report out</a> says the agency has made major improvements since Sept.Sun, 29 Mar 2015 12:43:00 +0000Rachel Martin46422 at http://wuis.orgFor Undercover Agents, On-The-Job Adrenaline Can Be AddictiveThe Truth About Humanitarian Work: High Ideals Vs. Hard Realitieshttp://wuis.org/post/truth-about-humanitarian-work-high-ideals-vs-hard-realities
The Syrian civil war has dragged on for four years now. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have died and more than 3 million have been displaced.<p>The refugee crisis there has attracted humanitarian aid workers hoping to make a difference. Kayla Mueller was one of them. The 26-year-old Arizona native was captured by the self-proclaimed Islamic State in August of 2013. <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/02/10/385182490/u-s-hostage-kayla-mueller-confirmed-dead">She was killed last month</a>.<br /> Sun, 15 Mar 2015 14:25:00 +0000Rachel Martin45385 at http://wuis.orgThe Truth About Humanitarian Work: High Ideals Vs. Hard RealitiesInstead Of Tickets, N.H. Police Hand Out Good-Deed Coupons http://wuis.org/post/instead-tickets-nh-police-hand-out-good-deed-coupons
<div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.<img src="http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Instead+Of+Tickets%2C+N.H.+Police+Hand+Out+Good-Deed+Coupons+&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxODM1Njk5MDEyMTY5MDg4MzEyOTc5Ng004)"/></div><p>Transcript <p>RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: <p>Police in Farmington, N.H., are issuing tickets all over town. But these are tickets you might not mind getting.<p>CHIEF JOHN DRURY: They're for a slice of pizza or a small French fry.<p>MARTIN: That's Farmington Police Chief John Drury.Sun, 15 Mar 2015 14:25:00 +0000Rachel Martin45387 at http://wuis.orgHaunted Dolls Are A Thing, And They're Not Cheap, Eitherhttp://wuis.org/post/haunted-dolls-are-thing-and-theyre-not-cheap-either
Some childhood symbols straddle the line between adorable and terrifying. Like clowns. Or <a href="http://www.hasbro.com/furby/en_US/" target="_blank">Furbys</a>.<p>Some dolls fit the category, too, with spooky eyes that seem to move or a porcelain pallor. They're not all <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chucky_%28Child%27s_Play%29" target="_blank">Chucky</a>, but some of them just don't seem quite right.<p>Listener Anne McLaughlin grew up with a cabinet full of dolls — including a pretty dancer doll and a set of wooden nesting dolls.Sun, 15 Mar 2015 12:48:00 +0000Rachel Martin45378 at http://wuis.orgHaunted Dolls Are A Thing, And They're Not Cheap, EitherLearning The Hard Truth About Lyinghttp://wuis.org/post/learning-hard-truth-about-lying
We all lie sometimes. But if you're in the public eye, the lie can take on a life of its own.<p>NBC's Brian Williams <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/02/10/385310377/nbc-suspends-brian-williams-for-6-months-without-pay">became the victim of his own story last month</a>, exaggerating the danger he faced while reporting in Iraq in 2003.Sun, 08 Mar 2015 12:53:00 +0000Rachel Martin44837 at http://wuis.orgLearning The Hard Truth About LyingWatermelon Wedge Issue Ripens In Oklahomahttp://wuis.org/post/watermelon-wedge-issue-ripens-oklahoma
<div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.<img src="http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Watermelon+Wedge+Issue+Ripens+In+Oklahoma&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAyMTY5Njg0MDEyMjQ2OTQ4NjVhMTAyZg004)"/></div><p>Transcript <p>RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: <p>Back here on this side of the Atlantic, the good people of Oklahoma are hoping to attract visitors with their own unique offerings. They have an official state animal, the bison, an official amphibian, the bullfrog, and an official meal that includes fried okra, sausage and gravy.Sun, 01 Mar 2015 13:18:00 +0000Rachel Martin44357 at http://wuis.orgFor The Record: Aging Out And Moving Onhttp://wuis.org/post/record-aging-out-and-moving
<div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.<img src="http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=For+The+Record%3A+Aging+Out+And+Moving+On&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxODMzOTc3MDEzMjAzMzEyMDA3Njc1Nw004)"/></div><p>Transcript <p>RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: <p>This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin. And this is For The Record. There are at least 43 million people in this country over the age of 65. And in 35 years that number is expected to double.Sun, 11 Jan 2015 12:50:00 +0000Rachel Martin40514 at http://wuis.orgStandard Time Starts, And The Summer-Haters Celebratehttp://wuis.org/post/standard-time-starts-and-summer-haters-celebrate
You know what today is, right?<p>That whole Daylight Saving thing is over, which means it gets darker earlier.<p>For a lot of people that might be a downer. You get home from work and it's pitch black outside. Maybe you skip that run because it just feels too cold and dark. Then you feel bad because you skipped your run, and you open a bottle of whiskey instead.<p>Ok, we're getting carried away, but you get the point. Some people are SAD in the winter months — literally SAD — they have seasonal affective disorder. They'd much rather frolic in the summer sun.<p>But guess what?Sun, 02 Nov 2014 15:27:00 +0000Rachel Martin36192 at http://wuis.orgStandard Time Starts, And The Summer-Haters CelebrateTiny Liechtenstein Loses A Precious Quarter-Acrehttp://wuis.org/post/tiny-lichtenstein-loses-precious-quarter-acre
<div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.<img src="http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Tiny+Liechtenstein+Loses+A+Precious+Quarter-Acre&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDA4NjQ1MDk3MDEzMjMxOTI5Mzc4NjVjNA004)"/></div><p>Transcript <p>RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: <p>To a different foreign land now with its own point of pride. Not poetry, in this case, but size. Liechtenstein is that tiny principality in Europe with a population smaller than Hoboken, N.J. The country is a grand total of 62 square miles.Sun, 20 Apr 2014 12:07:00 +0000Rachel Martin23378 at http://wuis.orgAfter A Bitter Struggle, DSO Brings 'Joy' To The People Againhttp://wuis.org/post/after-bitter-struggle-dso-brings-joy-people-again
<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86ukcgSnME0</p>Sun, 09 Mar 2014 12:40:00 +0000Rachel Martin20480 at http://wuis.orgAfter A Bitter Struggle, DSO Brings 'Joy' To The People AgainJohn Denver's 'Country Roads,' Now Official In West Virginiahttp://wuis.org/post/john-denvers-country-roads-now-official-west-virginia
Transcript <p>(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TAKE ME HOME, COUNTRY ROADS")<p>JOHN DENVER: (Singing) Almost heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River...<p>RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: <p>That is, of course, John Denver's hit "Take Me, Home Country Roads," which has just become an official state song of West Virginia. The state legislature approved the resolution Friday after a campaign spearheaded by a woman named Drema Denver. Despite having the same last name as John Denver, she is not related.Sun, 09 Mar 2014 12:19:00 +0000Rachel Martin20470 at http://wuis.orgIs Rebuilding Storm-Struck Coastlines Worth The Cost?http://wuis.org/post/long-run-rebuilding-coastlines-could-prove-too-costly
One year ago Tuesday, Hurricane Sandy bore down on the East Coast, devastating shoreline communities from Florida to Maine.<p>Many of these areas have been rebuilt, including the Long Beach boardwalk, about 30 miles outside New York City. Officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new boardwalk Friday.<p>Ninety percent of the funding for the restoration came from the federal government. The Federal Emergency Management Agency paid $44 million to repair the devastation.<p>Jack and Roseanne Vanderbeck love the new boardwalk.Sun, 27 Oct 2013 12:00:00 +0000Rachel Martin11795 at http://wuis.orgIs Rebuilding Storm-Struck Coastlines Worth The Cost?